Karun Nair's top 3 knocks in the IPL

Karun Nair has been picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants as a replacement for KL Rahul, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing IPL season due to a hamstring injury.

Rahul recently confirmed that he will undergo surgery on his right thigh and will also miss the final of the World Test Championship, which is due to begin on the June 7.

KL Rahul's replacement, Karun Nair, hasn't played a lot of games in recent seasons but has 76 IPL appearances since his debut in 2013. He has scored 1,496 runs at an average of 23.75 and a strike-rate of 127.75.

Nair has played some special knocks in the cash-rich league and will be looking to add to that list if he gets the chance to represent LSG this season. Here's a look at Karun Nair's top 3 knocks in the IPL:

#1 73* vs Delhi Daredevils, 2014

In a game between the Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils in 2014, RR won the toss and opted to field first. The Daredevils managed a total of 152 thanks to contributions from Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, and Kedar Jadhav. For the Royals, James Faulkner and Pravin Tambe picked up two wickets each.

The Royals lost Ajinkya Rahane in the third over, but Karun Nair played a clever innings to guide the chase. He found able partners in Sanju Samson, Rajat Bhatia, and Shane Watson during the course of the innings. Nair hit eight boundaries and two sixes and ended up with a score of 73 in 50 balls, which earned him the player of the match award.

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#2 83* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2016

In a game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, Karun Nair, playing for the Delhi Daredevils, recorded his highest score in the IPL.

Batting first, SRH notched up a score of 158 in their designated 20 overs thanks to David Warner's 73-run knock. None of the other batters managed a substantial contribution.

In the chase, DD lost Quinton de Kock in the second over and Karun Nair came in to bat at No. 3. He shared a 73-run stand with Rishabh Pant for the second wicket to consolidate the innings. He also shared a couple of crucial partnerships with JP Duminy and Carlos Brathwaite. However, he was the main contributor in both the partnerships and eventually ended up with a score of 83 not-out, which helped Delhi win the game off the last delivery.

Nair's superb knock included eight boundaries and three maximums and as he single-handedly won the game for the Daredevils.

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#3 61 vs Delhi Daredevils, 2015

In a game between the Delhi Daredevils and the Rajasthan Royals back in 2015, RR batted first and set a target of 190 for DD, courtesy of a fantastic start given by openers Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane.

Karun Nair came out to bat at No. 3, with RR at 52/1 after 6.5. He maintained the momentum, playing a sensational innings filled with attacking intent. Nair smashed 61 off just 38 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and two sixes and shared a 113-run partnership with Rahane, who scored 91*.

The Daredevils could only manage to score 175 runs and lost the match by 14 runs. Shane Watson and James Faulkner were the standout performers with the ball for the Royals.